Highest Average of 1.9 Side Jobs per Member
Earning Additional Monthly Income of 20 Million Won Beyond Parliamentary Salary
Controversy is growing as members of Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which claims to represent ordinary people, have been revealed as the highest earners in parliament.
On July 3 (local time), Yonhap News, citing The Guardian and other sources, reported that, excluding basic parliamentary salaries, seven Freedom Party members earned more than 12,000 euros (about 1.93 million won) per month in additional income between November and December last year?the highest number among all parties. The People's Party (OVP) followed with four members, while NEOS and the Greens (Grune) each had three, and the Social Democratic Party (SPO) had two. The Freedom Party also had the highest average number of side jobs per member, at 1.9. Axel Kassegger, for example, reported nine side jobs, including corporate management, serving on the supervisory board of an energy company, giving lectures, and consulting.
The Freedom Party, a far-right party founded in 1957 by a former Nazi SS officer, became the largest party in parliament in the general election last September, but was excluded from forming a coalition government. The People's Party instead formed a three-party coalition with the Social Democratic Party and NEOS, deliberately excluding the Freedom Party. Meanwhile, as it became known that Freedom Party members, who claim to represent ordinary citizens, were earning additional income above their basic parliamentary salary of 10,000 euros (about 1.61 million won) by working as notaries, lawyers, and corporate executives, public criticism intensified. On social media, reactions included: "Are they doing side jobs during their time as parliamentarians?", "They tell us to drink water, but they drink wine. Is this really a 'party for the people'?", "It seems these people work 24 hours a day without sleep," and "Do they have two bodies?"
Political circles also voiced criticism. People's Party Secretary-General Nico Marchetti said, "When you consider the credibility of a party that stirs up jealousy and claims to be the 'voice of the people' and 'opponent of the establishment'..." Klaus Seltenheim, a member of the Social Democratic Party, which is part of the coalition government, also directly criticized the Freedom Party, calling it "the hypocrisy of the blue corps (Freedom Party)."
As the controversy grew, the Freedom Party responded by saying, "This is a political distraction intended to cover up the government's failures," and insisted that "all additional income earned by Freedom Party members is legal." The party further argued that "the government is responsible for record national debt, high inflation, rising unemployment, and three consecutive years of economic recession," and reiterated that "all additional income earned by Freedom Party members is legal."
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